1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to optical devices, and particularly to optical toys.
2. Prior Art
Optical amusement devices have been around for many years. The most common type we have all grown up with is the kaleidoscope. An example of one such device is shown in La Reaux, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,859. These devices usually comprise a telescoping arrangement of tubes through which a viewer looks, while rotating the tubes with respect to one another. An image is shown on flat surface at the distal end of the kaleidoscope.
An unusual optical device is disclosed in Barnes, Jr., et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,051, displaying an anamorphic greeting card. A distorted representation is attached to the front flap of a folded card assembly. A curved reflective surface "pops-up" when the card is opened. An intelligible representation of the image on the front flap may been seen by the viewer on the curved reflective "pop-up" surface.
Wyser U.S. Pat. No. 2,697,380 discloses an anamorphoscope wherein a series of large anamorphic pictures are reduced in size and viewed on a cone shaped mirror. The Wyser apparatus discloses a master tube and a carrier tube are arrange in a telescoping relationship. The carrier tube is transparent and has a cone shaped mirror at one end of the tube, and pointed toward the viewer. A large distorted picture is wrapped about the master roll, with the picture side disposed inwardly towards the carrier tube. As the carrier tube moves the cone shaped mirror through the master tube, the distorted image is transferred through the clear walls of the carrier tube and is viewable down the axis thereof, on the cone shaped mirror. Unfortunately, only a small image is represented, from a large distorted one, and the entire distorted image is viewed before and simultaneously with the viewing of the corrected image.
A further optical toy is shown in British Patent No. 581,650 (1946) to Bathurst wherein a cylindrical base holds a distorted picture thereon. A curved pillar, having a mirror finish, is arranged upwardly from the base. By viewing the pillar, a corrected representation of the distorted picture on the base, may be seen. This device also requires a large distorted image being reflected as a smaller undistorted image, with the entire distorted image being seen therewith.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical toy for producing an enlarged proper image from a smaller central image.
It is a further object of the present invention to produce an image a full 360.degree. radially outwardly from the distorted image.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an optical viewing device which is less complicated and more spectacular then those devices shown in the prior art.